Home to Kansas State University and nestled in the Flint Hills, “The Little Apple” has been named a top “up-and-coming” city for new homebuyers.
To find the country’s best markets for first-time homebuyers in 2026, home loan lender Neighbors Bank looked at 97 mid-sized metropolitan areas — “places big enough to offer good job markets and amenities, but below the threshold where competition has already priced most first-time buyers out.”
“ … demand is building in a set of mid-sized metros that most buyers aren’t looking at yet,” Neighbors Bank said when publishing the study. “These are places where home prices are still reasonable relative to local wages, buyer competition hasn’t peaked, and economic growth is creating real momentum.”
Considering Zillow’s Market Heat Index, price-to-income ratio, average home value, three-year employment growth, three-year pay growth and three-year establishment growth, Manhattan was ranked the No. 9 city for new homebuyers.
Manhattan also ranked No. 1 in three-year job growth (+41.8%) since 2021 and No. 1 in three-year new business growth (+43.3%) since 2021.
“These are markets where jobs, paychecks, and businesses are all moving in the right direction,” Neighbors Bank said.
The study found that Manhattan has an average home value of $258,965, far below the national median sales price of $440,600.
Manhattan has a population of about 55,000 people.
Top 10 ‘up-and-coming cities for new homebuyers’
These are the top 10 “up-and-coming cities for new homebuyers,” according to Neighbors Bank:
Charleston, West VirginiaSpringfield, IllinoisRacine, WisconsinJanesville, WisconsinWausau, WisconsinJefferson City, MissouriBinghamton, New YorkLansing, MichiganManhattan, KansasSheboygan, Wisconsin
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Kaitlyn Alatidd is a service journalism reporter for The Wichita Eagle. She is a graduate of agricultural communications & journalism at Kansas State University.